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The worldwide mobile phone market grew by just 1% year-on-year in the second quarter of 2012, according to the International Data Corporation Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. However, the volume of smartphone sales grew by 42.1%.
IDC has calculated that 406 million mobile phones were shipped in Q2 2012, of which almost 154 million were smartphones.
Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC, said “Samsung and Apple have quickly become the global smartphone heavyweights though both employ somewhat different approaches to the market. Samsung employs a ‘shotgun’ strategy wherein many models are created that cover a wide range of market segments. Apple, in contrast, offers a small number of high-profile models. While both companies have expanded their geographic presence in pursuit of market share, the two companies will inevitably come into greater conflict as both try to generate additional gains.”
Samsung shipped more than 50 million smartphones in the quarter - that’s over half a million every day - setting a new quarterly record and giving it a smartphone market share of 32.6%. Apple, which also saw shipments increase year-on-year, is in second place with a 16.9% share.
Third-place Nokia and fourth-place HTC experienced a drop in quarterly shipments, although HTC’s performance was good enough to move it up from last quarter’s fifth place. Research In Motion fell out of the top five, replaced by ZTE.
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